The parsha opens with God telling Moshe that, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob… as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name Adonai.” Sh’mot/Exodus 6:3
Rashi, in his commentary, questions the purpose of the grammatically unnecessary use of the extra “to”s before the names of the last two patriarchs Isaac and Jacob.
Rabbi Meir of Permishlan, a disciple of the Ba’al Shem Tov, explains that a person who has a distinguished parent or grandparent will often rely upon their ancestors’ merit and reputation. Our teacher suggests that the Torah notes each of the patriarchs separately in this verse to emphasize that each of them sought to establish themselves independently of their ancestors and cultivate their own unique relationship with GOD. In doing so, each of our patriarchs also discovered a singular dimension of the Holy One that only they, with their individual life experiences could perceive. This is the challenge that Judaism places before each of us; to find that singular aspect of GOD that speaks only to us.
Shabbat Shalom –
Rabbi David M. Eligberg
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